A snake's commute

WOODSTOCK, Ga -- A six foot snake used a contractors van to hitch a ride from Alpharetta to Woodstock during Wednesday evenings commute. But the contractor didn't know about it until he was flagged down by another commuter.

Tim Jones said traffic was pretty slow on Highway 92 when he saw something move under the bumper of a van in front of him. "I noticed some movement on the trailer hitch on the van," he said.

Jones said he noticed a diamond pattern on the object. "As I got closer I said that looks like a snake, and I said that looks like a big snake," he said.

Jones pulled up alongside the van driven by John Gambrel, who works for Vision Stairway and Millwork. "When traffic finally stopped I got out and said 'you got a snake on your bumper, a big snake'," Jones said.

Gambrell said he was surprised. "He says this thing's huge and I'm thinking is this guy for real," he said. "And I'm kind of freaked out, I thought he was nuts."

Gambrell told Jones to follow him to Vision because he was afraid to pull over. When they got to his business he saw the snake.

Cherokee County Animal Control responded to the scene and called off duty Sheriff Deputy Sean O'Brien, who is an avid snake lover. "It is really unbelievable," Deputy O'Brien said. "I'm surprised she didn't fall off if the van hit a bump, or had an accident."

Deputy O'Brien eventually coaxed the snake out from under the bumper and it stretched out to about six feet in length.

"When he pulled that thing out everybody took a step back," said Gambrell.

Deputy O'Brien said the snake is a Columbian Red Tail Boa and was probably someone's pet. He thinks it either escaped or was intentionally set loose.

He took the pet to the Southeast Reptile Rescue Center in Griffin where the snake will be taken care of until a responsible owner can be found.